Twisted Metal: Black -- Online PlayStation 2

Twisted Metal: Black Online, free by mail to those who purchase the initial release of the PlayStation 2 Network Adaptor, is a multiplayer version of 2001's bestselling vehicular combat title. While the game features 15 vehicles and 20 environments found in the original release, the cinematic story line has been removed. In its place are three additional game modes and multiple modifiers to customize each competition in a number of different ways. It should be noted that dialup users will only be able to compete against one additional human player and cannot join broadband games, which support up to eight players at once.

After creating an account, players select their default vehicle and can either choose a game from the lobby or create their own. If there are no available games or opponents, players can still compete against two computercontrolled bots. Game modes include Deathmatch, Last Man Standing, Collector, and Man Hunt. Deathmatch is the standard Twisted Metal battle mode, where players continue to hunt each other down to rack up as many kills as possible. Last Man Standing is structured in a similar manner, but players have a predetermined number of lives before they are removed from the game.

Collector is a race to find a specific number of artifacts found throughout the level. Receiving heavy damage causes players to lose an artifact in their possession, with a kill resulting in the loss of all artifacts. Play then continues until a vehicle has a complete collection or another gameending parameter has been reached, such as a time limit or specific score. Man Hunt has one player acting as the prey while other vehicles hunt him or her down. Points are awarded for evading the hunters or for the hunters killing the prey, with parameters available in both time and score limits.

Hosting a game lets players customize the experience in a number of ways. Single weapon mods have vehicles limited to a specific weapon type, such as machine guns or homing missiles. Single vehicle mods force players to use the same car, while Power Relic mods are powerups like cloaking ability or double damage. Unlimited weapons mod can be selected for more explosive battles, while HUD mods change the visual displays of health, target indicators, and radar. An exclusive pickup to this online version is the full health icon, allowing for instant recovery in the heat of battle. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide